The Scourge
by Komatsuzaki
Summary: Terror runs rampant in Twilight's life when her loved ones are suddenly targeted by a nefarious sadist. With nopony to trust and no place to hide, Twilight and her friends must survive perpetual savagery, believing it will only end with Twilight's demise.
1. Chapter 1: Escalation

_The Scourge_

Chapter 1: Escalation

By FlutterBOSS

**This story is going to be 21 chapters long, and, in hippie vernacular, "It's gonna' be groovy, man!" I'm not sure if I would classify this as "grimdark", but it will be **_**pretty**_** tense. I am personally having a lot of fun writing this, though you'll soon find that fact quite strange, I would think. So, enjoy the show. It is Rated "T" for violence and intense situations. Shippings are: **

**Rainbow Dash x Soarin' | Fluttershy x OC**

In a single moment, the Ponyville Public Library went from tranquility to bedlam.

"Spike! Get up! This is an emergency!"

Twilight frantically dashed up the stairs, and unsuccessfully tried to stop herself before reaching Spike's bed. "Ooooohh, no—OOOFFF!" Once she got up off of the floor, she turned around, expecting her trip to have woken up Spike; it didn't.

"Spike! Come on!" She started to shake him hysterically. "This is serious!"

"Mmm… five more minutes, Twilight."

"SPIKE!"

"Wha-what is it?" Spike reluctantly moved his hands to start wiping his eyes, and then lazily turned to Twilight. Once she was sure that he was listening, she turned around, raised her hooves and began to rub her temples in distress.

"We have a real problem, and I know I can't handle it alone!"

Spike yawned. His eyelids fluttered, and then soared upwards. "Oh… oh!" All sleepiness vanished. "W-what's wrong! Is Sugarcube Corner on fire? Did Pinkie accidently drink some coffee again? Has Rainbow Dash—" Spike gasped as his hands flew to his cheeks, "Did Rarity break a nail!"

Twilight cantered to her window, almost quivering. "No, Spike, it's even worse than that!"

"_Worse_ than Rarity breaking a nail!" Twilight whipped around.

"YES, Spike! And Rarity couldn't even break a nail; she's a pony!"

"Oh…right." Spike grinned embarrassedly, and after murmuring something about having just woke up, he inquired, "Well, then what's wrong?" Twilight abruptly darted to the baby dragon and hoisted him up in the air. "Ah! Twilight! What the hay is the prob—"

"I OVERSLEPT!" A single hair ejected from Twilight's mane. The two remained in that pose for another couple of moments, and the library was once again tranquil, if only of sound. Spike's expression then became assuaged as he addressed her issue.

"Oh, just that? Heh, Oh mare, I thought it was something serious!"

Twilight's eyes grew wide. She then went back to carelessly jerking his tiny body. "This IS serious, Spike! A reporter from _the Fillydelphia Inquirer_ is coming _here_ for an interview this morning, and I haven't even made breakfast yet!" She then lowered Spike to the ground. "I've never overslept in my life. Not only has my streak been broken, but I've lost so much time; my entire schedule has been thrown off course!" Twilight put her hooves together in apprehension. "I need your help!"

Once Spike's world stopped spinning, he cumbrously addressed Twilight, "Uh… h'okay… okay, how long have you overslept?"

She responded anxiously, "Twenty minutes…"

"Aaaand… what time is this… reporter guy getting here?"

"An hour…"

"Wha—, Twilight, how is that even—" Spike stopped himself, and then sighed. "Alright Twilight, what do we need to do?"

Within the next moment, a piece of parchment was floating in Twilight's magical clasp. She then initiated reading a precise list of events for the day. "We need to fix ourselves something to eat and bring the library to pristine condition. Then the reporter will get here. When he's finished with that, we need to prepare a meal for the potluck at Rarity's. The Princesses are going to be there, so we need to make something extra special, but not too special, because it's just a casual party, but just special enough to show that we appreciate the Royal Sisters coming all the way from Canterlot to have lunch with us.

"We also need to be very considerate," Twilight continued, quickly pushing a stern stare towards Spike, "because this is the first time since Nightmare Night that Luna will be interacting with us. She has said that she's almost ready to take back her responsibility as co-ruler of Equestria, and we want her to feel as at-home as possible." Twilight looked up from her to-do list and asked a bewildered baby dragon, "Did'ja get all that, Spike?"

"Uh… yeah, um… how 'bout we just go one step at a time, okay?"

Twilight flashed a worried smile. "Okay, we need to make breakfast and straighten up the Library."

"Alright, why don't I cook for us and you clean up?"

"No no no no no! I planned to make a _specific_ breakfast for today, and there's an _explicit_ order to the cleaning that I want to do!" Twilight slammed her hooves down in distress. "And we wouldn't have to clean up this morning if I didn't spend the entirety of last night planning today!"

It was Spike's turn to firmly grasp Twilight's shoulders.

"Twilight, don't worry; we can do this." Serenity and inexplicable wisdom gravitated from Spike's eye to hers. "Let's complete what we can as fast as we can, and not worry about the rest, okay?"

Twilight blinked a couple of times, sighed uneasily, and then responded, "…You're right Spike. I'm sorry I'm being so unreasonable. It's just… I'm so _nervous_…" Twilight went back to massaging her forehead, "Thanks for helping me out." The massage's steady fading was trailed by a weak smile.

"No problem. I mean, we've been in _much_ worse situations before, right?"

"Oh yes, we certainly have, and I guess this isn't the first time you've helped us out of them."

"Well, as your number one assistant," Spike puffed out his chest, "it's my duty to keep you from freaking out on a regular basis."

"Oh, Spike." Rolling her eyes, Twilight embraced her companion, bringing his forehead to her cheek.

"Heheh, shall I start preparing our morning meal?"

"Yes, yes you shall!" Twilight let go of Spike and shot a determined hoof into the air. "And I'LL commence with sanitizing our home!"

"Alright!"

And so that problem was solved. Unfortunately, Twilight would have no solution to the truly far worse horror that was to come.

"That was delicious, Spike! How _do_ you do it?" Twilight rubbed her belly as she sat back, all the morning chores having been finished.

"I guess it's just in my blood." Spike had prepared another grand breakfast (daffodil and jelly sandwiches, with a side of Trottingham muffins), and Twilight wasted no time in praising his works. "Why, sometimes I even amaze myself."

Twilight giggled and told Spike, "Now, don't let it go to your head."

"I won't," Spike promised with another grin.

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK._

"Oh! That's him!" Twilight stood up, then earnestly added, "Best behavior time starts now!"

"Aye, aye, captain!" Spike saluted and stood up as well.

With him following, Twilight sauntered over to the door and asked, as if she didn't already know who it was, "Who is it?"

"Your doom."

"…What?"

"Just kidding! It's the journalist for the Fillydelphia Times."

"Oh, right." Chuckling, Twilight magically opened both doors. "Welcome to the Ponyville Public Library!"

Twilight had expected a snazzy stallion equipped with a self-assured demeanor, and that's what she got. The unicorn's red coat was almost completely enclosed with apparel. He wore a classy shirt with a luxurious solid purple tie, and he had an equally expensive-looking vest that went well with his auburn mane. He had saddlebags on either side of his flanks, completely covering his cutie marks. Illustrious sunglasses were perched upon his muzzle, covering his eyes, and Twilight decided that they deserved the quality of "dark-black". Despite his intimidating appearance, however, he wore a genuine smile.

"Thank you. I trust you are Twilight Sparkle?"

"Yes, that's me! Come on in!" Twilight moved backwards, not taking her eyes off of her guest. She was so focused on him that she didn't realize she was pushing Spike back as well.

"Hey, Twilight, watch ou-"

"So, you know who I am; what's your name?" requested Twilight.

"My name is Cornelius Newton News, though you can just call me Newton."

"And I'm Spike!" Twilight and Newton turned around to the source of the sound: Spike was back against a wall, and he had poked his head out.

"Oh! Sorry, Spike!"

"Eh, it's okay."

"Well, pleased to meet you, _Mister_ Spike." Spike seemed to enjoy being addressed so fancily. Newton looked up from the smirking dragon to the interior of the building he was in. "Wow…" He examined what he could of the Library. "Nice place you got here."

"Thank you! Princess Celestia is kind enough to let me live here during my studies of the Magic of Friendship."

Newton turned to Twilight. "Ah… and _that's_ what I'm here to talk to you about."

Twilight nodded and led him to the dining room, where they sat down at the table. "Would you like something to drink?"

Before Twilight could give examples of available beverages, Newton replied with an enthusiastic, "Water, please!" and then magically removed his saddlebags and placed them on the ground to his left.

"Spike," Twilight started, raising her hoof dramatically, "if you would be so kind as to bring us some water."

"Of course, milady." Embracing, if playfully, the role as servant, Spike bowed down a bit hyperbolically, then strode into the kitchen.

Twilight turned to look at Newton, and chirped, "I'm so excited you're here! I've never been interviewed by a journalist from a newspaper as big as _the Fillydelphia Times_ before." Twilight paused, and then with a hoof to her chin, pondered aloud, "Well, I don't think I've ever met a journalist at all, come to think of it."

"And I don't think I've ever met any pony as famous as you, Miss Sparkle."

Twilight's cheeks broke into a tinted pink, and she replied, "Oh, I'm not _that_ famous."

"Oh no, surely you realize how valuable you've been to Equestria? You saved us all from Nightmare Moon, and I also understand you recently stopped the Spirit known as Discord from a chaotic reign over this very city," Newton nodded and added, "You don't have to be so modest when you've done so much."

Twilight looked away. "Well, I couldn't have done it without my friends."

"Yes, I'm very interested to learn about them. I understand that each of them, you included, represents an Element of Harmony, yes?"

Twilight nodded as Spike came back into the dining room with a large jug and some cups. He put a glass in front of Newton and began pouring ice-cold water, and didn't stop until it was close to overflowing. "Thank you very much, Mister Spike."

"You're welcome, Mister Newton." Spike smiled as he brought the jug to Twilight, and let her pour her own amount. He then sat down and eagerly turned to the journalist.

"So, let's get right to it then." Newton drank half of the glass in one trip, and then took out a quill and some parchment from his saddlebags. "Ah… so… your friends, their names are: Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack, yes?"

"Yup! That's them."

"And correct me if I'm wrong, but Rainbow Dash is the Element of Loyalty, Rarity is the Element of Generosity, Applejack is the Element of Honesty, Pinkie Pie is the Element of Laughter, and Fluttershy is the Element of Kindness, right?"

"Right! And I'm the sixth element, the Element of Magic."

"I presume this means that you are rather adept at magic itself, then?"  
>"Right again! At least, that's what I've been told."<p>

"Come now, Miss Sparkle, have some pride in what you've achieved! Even without the assistance of your friends, you have an enviable list of accomplishments. You're _Princess Celestia's_ personal protégé for crying out loud."

Twilight blushed again at such flattery, and replied, "Well, I guess I've done some great things."

"And I've helped her a lot!"

"I'm sure you have."

"We know that, Spike."

"I'm just puttin' it out there."  
>Newton went back to speaking to Twilight, "And so, Equestria knows a lot about you, Twilight Sparkle, and they know a lot about how much you know, but what they don't know, is what you know you know, you know?"<p>

Twilight kept at a perfect pace and agreed fervently with a giggle, "You know it!"

Spike, however, just said, "Wait… what?"

"What I mean to say is that Equestria wants to know about your friend's expertise. Namely, knowledge, Mister Spike."

"Oh… I knew that."

Twilight smiled for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning. _'He's such a nice pony.' _Newton then asked her about how she came to be such an intelligent mare. She told him the story of how she was to be accepted into Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, how Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom triggered a massive source of magic inside her, and so forth.

The conversation went peculiarly well. Newton would write with the quill, though he always kept his gaze on Twilight. Whilst she was originally worried about the possibility of not knowing an answer, she ended up responding easily without fret. Spike would occasionally interject his version of the story, or a whole story of his own, such as when he "heroically saved the beautiful Rarity from the sinister clutches of the Diamond Dogs". Newton was quite curious about those particular characters, but Spike wrote them off as thuggish mercenaries-for-hire. Newton remarked them as "interesting".

The only part of the discussion that didn't seem to be perfect was the last set of questions Newton asked. Twilight thought they were… irregular inquiries, at least.

"What? Why would you want to know about that?"

"Why, Twilight, if what you say about these ponies is true, then I'd hate to see them get disregarded by the Fillydelphian Ponies as pompous pets of Celestia. While you know that your friends aren't vain, we should at least talk about some of their inadequacies to show that they are regular ponies like you and I, but ponies that have done some great things for Equestria."

Twilight's lips scrunched together in irresolution as she heavily considered what Newton was asking for. "I'm not sure. I don't exactly _like_ the idea of talking about my friends' shortcoming and flaws, especially when I myself am imperfect." Twilight turned to Spike for concurrence, and he nodded avidly.

"And you are an excellent friend _indeed_ for that conviction, Miss Sparkle, but you are also bright enough to realize that this will help your friends out in ways they can hardly do themselves."

"Well… I guess if it's advantageous to their, 'cause'…"

"It certainly is."

"But I just don't feel comfortable doing that, at least not without telling them first."

Spike backed her up, "Yeah, _I_ wouldn't like it if ponies were talking bad about me."

"Oh no, you misunderstand!" Newton waved his hooves and shook his head in a placating manner. "I wouldn't be talking badly about them; I'd simply be letting the ponies of Fillydelphia know that they too have things about them they don't like. It's much easier to like a pony when they acknowledge that they too make mistakes. After all, it's not like I'd go into great detail, nor would I demean them."

'_Is it really important that they like my friends?_'

Twilight contemplated it one more time. She eventually concluded, "I… I guess you're right, Newton. Just… don't make them sound like bad ponies, okay?"

"Oh, of course not, Miss Sparkle! Let me have you know that I take no pleasure in it either, but I do recognize the… benefits, from doing so."

Nonetheless, Spike was still skeptical. "I don't know about this, Twilight. I say we should just stay clear of badmouthing any of your friends," Spike then mumbled something along the lines of "especially Rarity…"

"Ah, Mister Spike, so selfless as to think of the feelings of others," Newton showed another genuine smile, "but I think you too are smart enough to realize how much this will help your friends." Before Spike could respond, Newton added, "You know what? I'll be sure to put something nice about the Great and Mighty Spike the Dragon, Savior of Fair Ladies, Conqueror of Diamond Dogs!" Newton had hit the Achilles Heel.

"Well, I _guess_ it'd be okay."

"Then I have your permission to tell ponies of Fillydelphia about your greatness?"

"Yeah, you can do that." Spike beamed at such sweet talk, while Twilight rolled her eyes again.

"Then it's settled!" Newton picked the quill back up, dipped it in ink, and looked to Twilight for a source.

Twilight released a half-heartedly defeated sigh, and then stated uncomfortably, "Well, Fluttershy is afraid of her own shadow…"

"I think we did a great job, Spike. This smells fantastic!"

Once the reporter had left, they went straight to cooking for the potluck. Spike had suggested a soup, but Twilight inquired where on the spectrum of specialness and difficulty to prepare it was. In the end, he simply told Twilight that it would be perfect for the occasion, and she stopped worrying and helped him make the meal. They were currently en route to Rarity's boutique.

"You bet we did!" Spike took a heavy whiff of the steaming pot sitting on Twilight's back. "Not only is it going to be delicious, but a surprise as well!"

"Is that why you named it 'Spike's Potato Surprise'?"

"Oh no, the _real_ surprise is that it doesn't have any potatoes at all."

Twilight almost stopped where she was as she snickered, "Well, that's definitely going to be a shock."

They continued onward. Spike eventually asked, "So what'd you think of Newton?"

"…What did I think of him?"

"Yeah, I thought he was pretty cool."

Twilight frowned. "Yeah, he was… just…"

"What?"

Twilight shrugged, but Spike was thankfully able to keep the soup from falling. "He seemed really happy and stuff, but… I don't know…"

"Is there something wrong with him being happy?"

"No, it's just, I pictured him as being a real jerk." Twilight then ardently added, "I know not to judge a book by its cover, _trust me_, but I guess I just got a bad feeling."

Spike persisted, "But why? He seemed like a nice pony, especially for a reporter for such a big newspaper. Whenever I hear about ponies in such big positions, they're real jerks. Newton was the opposite." Spike tapped a finger to his chin. "Come to think of it, he seemed _too _nice."

"Oh Spike, now _you're_ making him sound weird."

"Na-uh! _You're _the one who thought he was creepy."

Twilight was going to offer a rebuttal, but she couldn't deny to herself that she agreed with Spike. She didn't even understand _why _she thought it was so strange that he was so kind. She should be glad that of all the journalists for the Fillydelphia Times, she got the most likeable. '_Maybe it's because I'm "famous".' _Twilight looked upward from her reflection, and saw that they were approaching their destination. "Well, we'll talk about it later, because we're here."

"Meh, alright." Spike didn't do a good job of hiding his desire to continue the conversation, but luckily he didn't have to worry about it, because before anything else could happen, Rainbow Dash burst out of Carousel Boutique.

"Oh, hello Rainbow Dash. How are-"

The Pegasus abruptly blasted off from her location without saying a word, and soared away from the unicorn and dragon. They stood there (Spike was sitting), watching her figure get smaller and smaller.

"Wonder what's her problem?"

Twilight squinted to make out the Element of Loyalty before she disappeared from view, and sullenly responded, "I don't know, but I hope she's alright."

When Twilight and Spike made it into the dining room, no pony was talking. Princesses Celestia and Luna were sitting at the middle of a long decorated table, both with expressions of uneasiness. The newest guests lingered at the front of the room, unsure of whether to continue forward, ask what the problem was, or turn around, go out, and reenter the room. While most of the ponies were looking at the ground because of the apparently awkward circumstances, the majority of ponies who weren't doing that were staring at Applejack, who was looking down in great shame, forehooves crossed defensively. She was the first to break the silence.

"Ah'm… Ah'm sorry everypony. Ah shouldn't've lost mah temper. Ah should've been the one ta let go what she said." Applejack took off her Stetson hat and looked up at everypony. "Ah'm truly sorry." She looked at the Royal Sisters. "'Specially you two. Ta think that y'all came all the way from Canterlot, and ah've gone 'n ruined the party."

Pinkie Pie was the first to respond to Applejack's despondent confession, but not before happily hopping over to the other Earth pony. "Ah, don't worry, Applejack! Everypony makes mistakes!" She nuzzled the sulking mare.

Fluttershy was next. Her angelic voice was only more reassuring. "I-it's okay, Applejack." She walked over to her like Pinkie Pie, and smiled sympathetically.

"But, Ah was so heartless! Y'all shouldn't be so quick ta fer'give me."

"It's alright, Applejack." Princess Celestia had chosen that time to talk, and her caring, mother-like tone unsurprisingly helped to lighten the mood. "While Rainbow Dash was not guiltless either, I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we accept your apology."

Celestia demonstrated her royal smile, one that spread across the room until it eventually got to Applejack. When it did, a pink party pony exclaimed, "Yay for forgiving!"

"If it helps," Luna spoke as well, and even though Celestia's pardon was the most comforting, Luna's was the most meaningful. "I forgive you too, Applejack. You didn't really do anything to me, but even if you did, I'm sure this is one of the few times you've been, this way…"

"Oh, I must agree," Rarity put forth her two cents, "You rarely get into an argument, Applejack. I would know, for I have been in most of them." Rarity grinned sheepishly.

After this, Applejack, while obviously still feeling culpable, was able to smile more authentically, and acknowledged, "Well, if y'all say so. Ah still need to apologize ta Rainbow though. I'd better go do that."

"Actually, Applejack, even if you could find her, she is probably still very angry at… whatever happened," Twilight broke to her, "She's probably very far away from here by now."

Applejack sighed again. "Well, then Ah'll just hafta' do it later."

"Right, for now, let's just continue with the party. We can still have a good time." Rarity finished. Everypony nodded or concurred verbally.

The atmosphere was rejuvenated, and the festivities, though only of a small number of ponies, regenerated.

Spike choose that time to try to ask, "What in the world happened her-"

Twilight clasped her hoof over the young dragon's mouth, and chastised, "Spike! Let's not bring that up. Just pretend we just walked in." She let her grasp go.

"Fine." Spike then stayed still for another moment. A sly grin was exposed on his face, and he then shot his arms up and shouted mockingly, "Hi, everypony!"

"Hiya, Spike!"

"Welcome Spike, and welcome to you too, Twilight Sparkle."

"Hello, Spike."

Twilight integrated with the party, leaving her companion to place their dish at the table. She chose to sit down across from the Rulers of Equestria.

"How has your day been, Princesses?"

Celestia replied in the same tone as earlier, "It has been going very well, Twilight Sparkle. It was very… generous," She tittered, "of your friend Rarity to invite us to this luncheon." She looked over to the mare of the house, who seemed to be offering words of comfort to a pony she usually disagreed with. "And I'm sure it will still go well regardless of the minor commotion that just happened."

Truth be told, Twilight had a burning desire to find out why Rainbow Dash had left the party, but she stopped herself and said, "Right. How are you doing, Princess Luna?"

The Princess of the Moon smiled feebly and replied, "I… am doing well, Twilight Sparkle."

"You can just call me Twilight, if you want." Twilight grinned. "Or if you prefer "Starswirl the Bearded", you can do that too." Luna and Twilight got a kick out of that, but it confused Celestia. "Starswirl the Bearded?"

"Oh, that's who Twilight was for Nightmare Night."

"Ah… did everypony like it?" Celestia giggled.

Remembering the lack of recognition, Twilight replied a bit irately, but still nicely, "No, actually, Luna was pretty much the only one who was able to identify it." She turned to said alicorn and beamed.

"Well, my little sister is quite intelligent."

"I have to agree."

More smiles all around.

"Thank you very much. You're too kind. I think I shall just call you "Twilight", Twilight Sparkle." It took a moment for Twilight and Celestia to realize that Luna was making a joke. They then chuckled accordingly.

"I can't wait for you two to try the dish we made. It's called "Spike's Potato Surprise"…"

When the party was halfway over, Princess Celestia decided to pull Twilight aside. Bringing their beverages with them, they exited the living room and began to chat. "So, Twilight, how do you think it's going?'

Twilight took a gulp of her apple juice. "I think very well, for how it started. I just hope that Applejack and Rainbow Dash make up." Celestia nodded acutely.

"Yes, they were doing fine, and then, they were suddenly arguing, arguing as if they were in verbal fight to the death." Celestia frowned. "I'm not sure why they became so frenzied, especially for such a reason as it was."

Twilight furrowed her eyebrows. "Why _did_ they get into that fight anyway?"

"I believe that it had something to do with colts." Celestia hadn't touched her drink thus far. "Have they done that before?"

Twilight shook her head. "No, they've quarreled before, but not for anything like that." She looked back into party. Everything was going well. "That's so very strange."

Celestia put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "I'm sure that they'll be alright." Twilight smiled. She then saw Luna come into her view.

"Also, Luna seems to have adapted to the language disparity quite quickly."

"Yes, I am exceptionally proud of her." Celestia beamed delightfully. "It looks to me like she is having a good time." She finally brought her cup to her lips and took a small sip. "Don't you think so?"

"Oh yes, I definitely think so." They looked back into the living room, where Luna was now laughing with Fluttershy.

"It's good to have another set of eyes to reassure that you're seeing what you hoped you'd see, don't you agree?"

With her mouth full of the last of her apple juice, Twilight nodded, and then swallowed. "Yes, this day is just turning out to be a great one indeed. Even with that fight, everything has been going well. No catastrophes, no foes to face, just relaxing at the party with the Princesses."

"Yes, I'll bet that Luna is having just as good a time-"

Celestia's face abruptly seethed in absolute dread. She fell to the ground, blinking and gaping in a seemingly random direction. Twilight watched her Princess fall, and, for a moment, didn't know what was going on nor what to do.

"Princess? Princess!" Twilight was by her teacher's side. "Princess, what's wrong?" She tapped Celestia's shoulders, but that didn't break her out of her stupor. So she tried shoving her shoulders, but that didn't work either. Twilight started to panic.

_SLAP_.

A physical whack did the trick. Celestia's eyes stopped centering, but her body was still trembling. Once she began to gradually calm down, she, exhaling profoundly, looked up at Twilight.

"Oh… my goodness"

"Princess Celestia, what happened?"

"…What?"

"What happened? You were talking, and then you suddenly just… stopped, and you looked like you were having a heart attack."

Celestia's face steadily turned back to the calm one she was known for.

"Oh… it, it was nothing. I'm fine."

"…What? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm okay. I just… had a bad thought."

"Really?" Twilight tilted her head agitatedly. "It looked like more than just a bad thought." Celestia, now back in control of her actions, shook her head.

"No, I'm quite alright. Though thank you for your concern." Celestia smiled.

Twilight stared down her mentor. She appeared to be fine again, although her eyes looked like they had just witnessed the obliteration of Canterlot.

"Well… alright." She wasn't utterly convinced. "You sure you don't need some water or something?"

"No thank you, Twilight, I'll be fine. Now, what was it you were saying?"

"Oh, well, I think you were actually talking about Luna-"

Yelling was heard from the next room. Twilight paused and looked at its direction, and then at Celestia, who had done the same thing. A fuming stallion stomped into the room, with Rarity right behind, protesting, "This is a private party on private property! I _demand_ that you leave the premises at once!"

But the stallion wasn't listening to her in the slightest. He stopped two feet away from Twilight, and irately raised a hoof right to her nose.

"_There_ you are! Do you know _how long_ I have been waiting? Aren't you supposed to be some kind of organizational freak?"

Nopony said anything. Even Princess Celestia was too stunned to offer a response. The other party guests trickled into the area out of curiosity. Each one easily picked up on the intensity of the situation.

Twilight decided to speak up, but not before she realized, "Newton? What are you doing here?"

"Ah, you recognize me, so you _intentionally_ did this to me!"

"Wha-what are you talking about?"

"What am I talking about? What does it look like I am talking about?"

More awkward silence. Rarity continued her investigation. "_Excuse_ me, _sir_, but _why_ exactly are you here?"

Newton turned to look at her like she had asked who Princess Celestia was. He then went back to interrogating Twilight. "Do you know what was scheduled for this morning?"

"An interview?"

"Yes, and do you know who the interviewer was supposed to be?"  
>"That'd be you."<p>

"Correct. And the interviewee?"

"Me."

"Right! So, since you obviously know what was supposed to happen, _why_ didn't it happen?"

"What are you talking about? You interviewed me this morning!"

"You LIAR! I sat in the classless excuse for a restaurant known as 'Sugarcube Corner' for over an hour, and you decided _not_ to show up!"

Twilight shook her head in confusion. "No, you came to me this morning at the Ponyville Library, we had the interview, and then you left!"

Celestia cleared her throat, which naturally brought all eyes upon her. "It appears that a miscommunication has happened, assuming both parties are telling the truth."

Newton seemed unfazed by the fact that one of the Royal Sisters was in his presence, addressing him. He brazenly resumed his screaming. "You're trying to tell me that I interviewed you this morning? You'd have to accuse _me_ of lying then!"

"…But, you did interview me this morning. Spike was there too, he can testify."

"Well, I'm telling you that I did not!"

Twilight sat back and inspected the pony snarling at her. He looked exactly like the Newton she had met this morning, purple tie and everything, only his ceaseless smile and amiable nature were replaced with an infuriated grimace and lots of yelling. "So… no. No. He's got to be lying!" She turned to her teacher. "Princess Celestia, I talked to this very pony this morning!"

"I'm _not_ lying!"

"Perhaps," Celestia raised her voice while still sounding completely calm, "perhaps neither of you are lying."

Everypony stopped to consider what that would mean.

"So, are you saying, somebody… _impersonated_ Newton?"

"Stop calling me 'Newton' like you've met me! My name is Cornelius N. News!"

Twilight then realized how much information she had given to somepony who apparently wasn't Newton this morning. "Oh… no." Collapsing, Twilight's hooves slammed to her face as she exclaimed, "This is bad. This is very bad! If somepony fooled Spike and I into thinking he was the real Newton, then—" Twilight stopped again. "No no no no!"

"Twilight, what's wrong?" Rarity inquired apprehensively. Other ponies in the room followed her example.

"What's wrong? What's wrong! Do you know what I told who I thought was Newton this morning? Normally it wouldn't be that bad, but if somepony masqueraded as my interviewer, than what malicious intentions would he have? What would he do with that information?"

Silence. A certain pink pony, wondering where the party had disappeared to, bounced into the room and gleefully shouted, "Hey! _Here's_ everypony! I was wondering where you all went!"

Nopony responded. They were all either confused, in shock, or finally dropping an exasperated conduct and expressing interest in the circumstances that everyone was so freaked out about. Pinkie Pie continued in her jovial tone, "Do you all have a froggy-woggy in your throat? Jeez, you ponies are acting like something really, really, really, really, really, _really_ bad happened!"

A stallion scrutinized the growling artifact before him. It made his already disturbed heart darker as it radiated with a black light. Then, with his hooves encased strongly around the item, he looked upwards with a twisted, euphoric smile, and ignited a horrific cackle into the woods of the Everfree Forest, where only the suddenly cowering beasts thereof could receive it.

Somepony had found something, and with it, his wicked cravings would come to pass, and no stallion, mare or foal, would be safe.

**End of chapter 1 of 21. So, what do you think? Too dramatic? Too descriptive? Let me know what I did wrong and what I did right. Chapter 2 is right around the corner. **


	2. Chapter 2: Deliverance

_ The Scourge _

Chapter 2: Deliverance

By FlutterBOSS

**Behold, Chapter 2! Things get nasty in this one. As Mr. Arnold said in Jurassic Park, "Hang on to ya butts." **

Rainbow Dash did what any other Pegasus would do when they were angry: she took a flight.

Before the mare had detonated from Rarity's boutique, she and Applejack had gotten into a friendly competition, which quickly became a disagreement, which almost inevitably turned into a passionate argument, the likes of which Rainbow dearly wanted to get away from.

"_You've gotta' be joking! I could get a coltfriend twice as fast as you could!"_

"_Only 'cause y'all got nothin' but a little clouds ta push all day!"_

"_Hey, at least I practice for something greater than kicking trees!"_

"_Y'all know what ah do is import'nt! Y'all're just fulla' yaself, Rainbow Dash!"_

Rainbow sniffled crossly. She was livid at what Applejack had said to her. She said things Rainbow believed would never even form as thoughts in the Earth pony's mind. Rainbow couldn't deny that she was also mad at herself, because she knew she had said—or screamed, rather—some very hurtful things.

"_Y'all are such an arrogant bigmouth! No colt would wanna' get near ya 'cause all ya think about is ME ME ME!"_

"_Girls, please, let's not argue-"_

"_Shut up! You're just a brainless hick! No colt would give YOU the time of day, because they'd have a hard time explaining to you what time it was!"_

Yes, Rainbow Dash wished that the quarrel had never taken place. She wished that it had ceased to exist, so that nopony, herself included, would ever have to know what was said.

"_Equestria would be far better place without a filly like you!"_

"_Or somepony like you! Without all your dumbness, your constant "YEE-HAW"s, and your acting like you're the best pony in the world jus' 'cause you're the Element of Honesty, Equestria would never have to see your stupid face AGAIN!"_

But the worst part was, she still can't figure out _why_she got so angry at Applejack, _why_they bickered over something so… _trivial_. Surely their friendship prevented them from fighting over something like that, right? It was as if somepony had coaxed her into saying the cruelest, yet pettiest things possible, and Rainbow Dash felt terrible for it.

Yes, she _could__not__believe_ she had said such things.

'_Why__did__I__act__like__such__a__foal?__Why__did__I__act__so__stupid__?__Of__all__places,__off__all__times,__why__did__it__have__to__be__in__front__of__the__Princesses?__' _Rainbow Dash was on the verge of literally belting herself in the face. '_I__just__don__'__t__understand.__' _Rainbow had stopped wiping her tears, because new ones simply took their place.

She was flying over the Everfree Forest. She had _been_ flying over the Everfree Forest for _hours._ She felt like landing would mean she's ready to forgive herself, and she wasn't.

Her internal clock and stomach told her it was time for dinner, but Rainbow Dash didn't stop flying. She didn't care how hungry she was, how worn-out her wings were, or how badly she just wanted to sit down and cry. She just kept on flying, like if she flew long enough, the pain would go away and everypony would forget the things that had been done.

In the midst of her cheerless reflection, a sharp noise reached Rainbow's ears, followed by an unexpected pain that manifested on her cheek. "_Ow_! What the—?"

She looked down and spotted a diminutive rock plummeting to the Earth. Knowing that inanimate objects don't just hurl themselves into the air (especially not at any particular pony), Rainbow Dash ceased her inner clash and darted towards the direction she presumed it had originated.

Ignoring the minor cuts she received as she blasted through the thick canopy, Rainbow hit the ground and bellowed, "Who threw that rock at me?"

Nopony answered. There didn't seem to be any noise at all, which anypony would think was strange for a place like the Everfree Forest. "Oh, that's it, huh? You're too afraid to take me on; you're just a sucker puncher!" Rainbow stood on her hind legs and fisticuffed her forehooves into the air. "Come and get me, you coward!"

No response. Rainbow Dash peered around, but didn't see anything. "That's what I thought." Smirking, she turned around again, only to find that she was somehow surrounded by threatening entities. She tried to fly off, but she had spent too much time standing there in bewilderment. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, because a couple of them had managed to hurdle themselves onto her position, and she was eventually the foundation for a dog pile.

Once they spitefully got off of her, she tried to kick and punch with all her might, but her assailants held every limb unwaveringly. Rainbow stood on her back legs, with each of her forelegs behind her back, held taut by dirty claws.

"What the hay—?"

Rainbow Dash recognized the adversaries before her: the Diamond Dogs.

"What, you guys again? Ha! Didn't you learn your lesson last time?" Rainbow Dash goaded their leader, who in turn narrowed his eyes and exemplified a contemptuous smile.

"You're Rainbow Dash, one of Twilight Sparkle's 'friends', aren't you?"

"Yep. That's my name. Don't wear it out."

Having gone from gloomily pondering her past actions to her regular fearless self, Rainbow remarked haughtily, "You boys looking for more diamonds? Well, you're out of luck; I don't have any."

The leader, who so far was the only one to make a sound, corrected her, "Oh, but we don't want any from _you_, pony," his sneer enlarged, "A certain stallion promised us more diamonds than we could count if we found a friend of Twilight Sparkle's and…" He sniggered, "Roughed her up." At the proposal of receiving said reward, the other dogs started clapping like simpletons and then edged to start the deed.

"Well, good luck getting anything out of me! I wouldn't betray anypony if my life depended on it!" Rainbow Dash braved her smile, glad that she had the opportunity to redeem herself.

"Ah, but we don't want any information, _pony._ We just want to make sure that your friend receives a message, a message that shows _just_ how much of a mess she's in."

Rainbow Dash was no longer struggling, but if she was, she would've halted in perplexity. "What, so you're just going to beat me up!" She laughed again, able to successfully conceal her now genuine worry.

"Oh, you'll find that we're more than capable of doing big things when we work together, sort of how you and your "_friends_" do."

The leader of the Diamond Dogs followed this ironic statement by throwing his fist into Rainbow's stomach. Letting a traitorous gasp of air escape, Rainbow Dash immediately recollected herself and spat, "Is that all you got? Mare, not only are you guys dumber than a sack of hay, but you couldn't faze a _mouse_ with all your tiny mitts combined!" The rest of the dogs retaliated with furious shouts, each with a higher or lower voice;

"Let's teach this pony a lesson!"

"Make her pay!"

"Yeah… what they said!"

The leader restrained them, "Calm down! The _pony_ seems to think that we are not capable of such actions, but _we_ know how strong we are, right boys?"

"Right! We can whoop this pony's sorry flank!"

"She ain't no match for all of us!"

"Yeah… what they said!"

Rainbow Dash felt like she had no choice when she faked a yawn and finished lazily, "Yeah, whenever you're ready, mutts."

With his eye twitching, the leader decreed, "Then let us see how you can take it." He recommenced his punching, this time in the face, chest and abdominal area. Rainbow Dash winced, but she didn't scream… at least, not yet.

"Ah, you're a tough pony, aren't you?" He slugged her again in the stomach. She cringed this time, and unknowingly gulped in fright.

"Well, not that I wouldn't mind taking it all for me," He viewed the rest of his cohorts, "but you guys look like you could use some exercise. Show this bigheaded filly what we can do."

Without delay, the dogs all piled against Rainbow Dash, taking any shot they could at her, barely trying to not hit their own. She forwent her brash manner and tried to evade the dogs' grasp, but there were far too many of them. Trying and failing to protect her face, Rainbow did everything she could, but the dogs pounced on her, striking whatever surface that didn't already have any blood on it. Rainbow's exclamations of pain were drowned out by the dogs' horrific screeches, heard all through the Everfree Forest. Any animal, dangerous or not, shrunk away from the scene.

"Alright, that's enough! Our client was very clear on what he wanted us to do!" The dogs grudgingly let Rainbow's battered body fall to the ground and whined that their fists were still hungry for more. "Oh, don't worry, we can't kill her, but I can't guarantee that she'll survive her… _encounter_," the leader blared in delight, "and even if she does, this forest is _crawling_ with creatures that would _kill_for such an easy meal!"

The dogs guffawed at their leader's simple and macabre humor as they began to depart the area.

"Oh, just imagine all the diamonds we're going to get!" The leader rotated back to look at Rainbow Dash's bloodied figure. Her entire chest and belly were flowing with bruises and blood-obscured cuts. Her once-pretty face was covered with gashes and the like, and some of her legs weren't quite bending the right way.

"I hope you learned your lesson about manners, you stupid, _worthless_ foal! Why, nopony is even going to remember you," all the dogs were struggling to contain their ecstasy, for their leader's slander continued, "We might even have attacked the wrong pony, but hey! Who cares? We're going to be rich!"

The leader turned back to the group of dogs, who stared back at him for instructions. "Well, don't just stand there you idiots! Let's get back to our home, and claim our reward!"

"Yes! Let's do that!"

"Diamonds for the Diamond Dogs!"

"Yeah! What they sa—_Ow_!"

"Shut _up_, Muffler!"

The idle chat of impending wealth eventually died away… but the whimpers did not.

Rainbow Dash laid there, a new sense of agony homing in on the pain scale of her life. She had gotten into flying accidents, yes, but the bruises from that tended to only pop up, say, in certain areas, as opposed to everywhere. Her tears mixed with fresh blood as she made a fading effort to breath. She felt as if there were stallions standing on her lungs.

'_No,__I__can__'__t__die__like__this!_' She ruminated, "_I__haven__'__t__even__gotten__to__say__I__'__m__sorry__to__everypony!__" _

Rainbow tried to move, to get off her back so that she could maybe fly back to Ponyville, but her body simply would not let her.

'_Come__on!_' She tried again. _'__Get__up,__Rainbow__Dash!__' _The last time she attempted to remove her frail body from the ground was just as fruitless as the first. '_This__isn__'__t__fair__…' _She pondered in dejection. Rainbow Dash wasn't prepared to have these contemplations, the last ones she believed she would have. _'__I__haven__'__t__even__kissed__a__colt__yet__…'_

All of a sudden, foreign thoughts crept into Rainbow's mind. '_The__great__Rainbow__Dash__…__.__What__is__her__problem__now?__Did__she__pick__another__fight__she__couldn__'__t__handle?__Did__she__abandon__her__friends__again?__'_

Disoriented, Rainbow could not tell if it was her conscience, or if there was somepony right next to her. Either way, she wasn't going to let it talk down to her.

'_That's crazy! I'm not abandoning anypony, that's the last thing I would do!'_

'_Ah, but you are. If you were strong enough, you would pick yourself up and go beg for forgiveness from the ponies who implausibly call you their "friend".'_

'_I'm trying! I'm really hurt…'_

'_Quit your whining! You're a pitiful existence, Rainbow Dash. Remember all those horrible things you said to poor Applejack? Remember all those times you were such a selfish brat? You probably scared away Princess Luna as well. What a shame you turned out to be…'_

'_Shut up! I don't know who you are, but get away from me!'_

'_Me? Why, I'm the truth you're denying, Rainbow Dash.'_

Rainbow started to feel tears that weren't from physical pain torrent from her eyes. Her whole body writhed like never before, but her attention was focused on the entity that was harassing her.

'_You__can__'__t__escape__what__you__'__ve__done,__Rainbow__Dash.__Fortunately__for__Equestria,__you__'__re__going__to__die__right__here,__right__now;__a__pathetic__excuse__for__anything__good.__'_

'_No! I am not going to die!'_

'_Yes, yes you are.'_

'_No, I'm not!'_

'_Yes, you ar—'_

'_No—' _

'_Rainbow Dash, you'r—'_

'_NO!'_

'_You will—'_

'_I REFUSE TO LEAVE MY FRIENDS!'_

Pushed to her limit, Rainbow Dash summoned entombed valor, and expunged all but her own physical suffering. She opened her eyes and turned over on her side. "I will _not_die!" She got up. It was excruciating. She didn't care.

She glared impetuously in every direction, expecting some of the Everfree Forest's perilous monsters to have found her fragile body, hoping for a convenient dinner. But she did not see anything. So, with every plane of vigor she had ever imagined was possible, Rainbow Dash roared into the night the most thunderous, evocative and heartfelt declaration that would ever be heard in her life:

"**COME****AND****GET****ME****NOW,****WORLD!****"**

Like a certain cyan-colored Pegasus once was, Soarin' was flying over—of all places—the Everfree Forest, and like this cyan-colored Pegasus, Soarin' was doing it because he was angry. He wasn't as incensed as Rainbow Dash was, but he did feel equally as hurt.

'_I__can__'__t__believe__she__would__think__I__'__d__do__that__…__.__'_

One of his closest friends had accused him of stealing one of the few irreplaceable things she owned: a locket given to her by her father before he passed away. Naturally, the picture inside of it was of him, her mother, and Spitfire herself when she was just a foal.

Spitfire, being the captain of the Wonderbolts, was able to afford one of the highest security vaults in the Bank of Cloudsdale. She had given Soarin' permission to take the heirloom if he so desired, but they both knew without a shadow of a doubt that he neither would nor wanted to. It was just Spitfire's way of making sure that the locket was still there, still real. Soarin' didn't quite understand it, but he never questioned it. It was one of the few touchy subjects with the always-cool Spitfire.

Every week on the same day, she would go to the Bank and request to see it. Every week on the same day, it would be there, and would provide a bit of sentimental relief to her heart.

However, today when Spitfire went to check up on it, it was gone. She asked the bankers there if anypony had opened up her vault, but they said no. She asked them to double-check their records, but the nervous-looking counter attendant squeaked that nopony had visited her vault since the last time she was there.

On edge, she flew straight to the Wonderbolts' Headquarters to inquire of Soarin' where it was. When he too asserted that he didn't take it, Spitfire was immediately torn up. She screamed to him that he had stolen it.

A quarrel ensued. To Soarin', there was no logical reason why he'd take it. To Spitfire, there was no other pony who could. She had howled that she didn't understand why Soarin' would take it. They, like another pair of ponies, said things they would later regret (Soarin' regretted them minutes after their falling out).

Soarin' knew that she, like him, would "fly the pain away", but he did not want to see her. He did not want to see the closest friend he has ever had, not when she refused to believe what he knew was true. He decided to fly over the one place he thought she wouldn't go: the Everfree Forest.

Having flown for awhile, Soarin' was finally ready to be practical. He moved his hoof to pull his goggles down, but then realized that he had left them at the Wonderbolts HQ. He groaned.

As he was flying over no particular area of the forest, his ears were pierced by an explosive proclamation. "What the…?" He could not tell what the exact words were, just that they were deafening. Soarin' tried to discern which direction the sound came from, and decided that it was coming from his left.

Desiring to curb his curiosity on who had screamed their head off and what they were doing in such a hazardous place, he picked up speed, flying just above the canopy of the trees. He would need to navigate through them in order to get to the surface of the ground. Having paid little attention to the minor scratches he obtained, Soarin' turned a full three hundred sixty degrees, looking for the source of the cry.

"It's a miracle any light gets through these trees," Soarin' observed to himself, "I just hope there's enough for me to find… whoever needs my help." Soarin' moved forward, and then stopped; trying to remember which direction the sound came from. He then resumed clip-clopping forward briskly.

Then he smelled something not uncommon to the Everfree Forest: blood. '_Did__somepony__get__attacked__by__a__monster?__'_

Soarin' now agitatedly followed his nose, galloping past a few trees and coming to a stop at a clearing. There, completely motionless, looking like having just been run over by a stampede, lay a lone pony. Soarin' dropped all other thoughts and flew to her side.

"Oh, _horseapples!_ Are you okay? Hey, buddy—"

He meant to give the body a small nudge, but couldn't find a clean, bruise-less spot.

Within a second, he determined that the pony was a mare. Her cyan coat was populated with bruises and bleeding abrasions. Just _looking_ at the body made Soarin' want to feel his own to guarantee that he was fine. He then gazed at her mane. It was, like the rest of her body, covered in blood, but he could make out that it was rainbow-colored. Like a ton of bricks, realization hit him.

"Rainbow Dash!" Soarin' brought his hooves to her muzzle and pulled it towards him, and gave it a slight shake. "Dash… Dash! Come on, Dash! You need to get up!" She didn't move. Without panicking, Soarin' recalled the training he had learned at Junior Speedsters Camp. He turned to her ribcage and immediately put one hoof over the other, then thrust down on her chest. The _CRACK_ of shattering ribs perforated his ears, and his entire body trembled.

Feeling culpable, Soarin' told himself that he needed to do what was necessary.

He pushed again on her chest, counting to thirty. He heard more ribs break, but reassured himself that her life was more important than her ribcage.

'_Come__on__Dash;__don__'__t__give__up__on__me__now.__'_ Soarin' went back to her muzzle, wiped the dark-red blood off, tilted it back, and enclosed his mouth over hers.

While blowing with all his might and checking to see if her chest was rising, in the very, very back of Soarin's mind he reflected that he liked the feeling of his lips on hers. _'__She__'__s__is__an__attractive__mare.__' _ Her chest did rise, though barely. Soarin' blew into her mouth again, and her chest ascended once more. He went back to the compressions, hoping, '_Please,__Dash.__Please__… __get__up.__Tell__me__you__'__re__okay._'

After pressing on her chest thirty more times, he blew in her mouth again, with no luck. He repeated the procedure. She was still passed out. Soarin' went back and forth, desperately wanting her to awaken.

Five minutes later, he was still doing the same steps, with no visible progress. Soarin' started to dread like his coat was falling off.

"Gosh _darn_ it, Dash!" He blew again. "Wake up!" And again. "It can't be your time to go!" For the first time, tears broke out of Soarin's eyes.

'_Please…'_

Soarin' finally fell back, exhausted beyond explanation. He tried to stop the tears from coming by closing his eyes.

'_I can't let you go…'_

On the brink of giving up, Soarin' thought about all the interaction they had had—which, to Soarin's dissatisfaction, wasn't a lot—but remembered the things he liked about her: her confident grin, the velocity at which she could fly (she had done a Sonic Rainboom, incidentally), the fact that she had nimbly saved his apple pie at the Grand Galloping Gala— '_What__am__I__thinking?__She__saved__my__freaking__life__!_' Soarin' stopped musing in despondency. '_…__she__saved__my__life.__She__saved__my__life__…'_

Soarin' stopped panting. His parted lips came together in a austere visage. Then, ever similarly to Rainbow Dash, a fiery determination was forged in his now wide open eyes.

He got up, completely ignoring the wrench from his fatigued muscles. With the last of his energy and willpower, Soarin' smashed his hooves on her chest with ascendancy. That very instant, she woke up, throwing up blood and coughing up… more blood. Soarin's tears of sorrow turned into ones of sweet, sweet relief, as he turned her muzzle to the side so that she wouldn't choke.

When she was finished, she gradually opened her eyes, and gaped up at the pony who had saved her life. Soarin' was staring right back down at her, pure, unadulterated gratitude all over his face. As such a shape as she was in, he saw that Rainbow was in total astonishment.

"Wow…" breathed Rainbow Dash, "am I in heaven?"

"No, Dash, you're still here with me." Soarin' carefully placed his arms around Rainbow's body and nuzzled her face. "Heh, for a second there I thought you were gone."

"I passed out? I thought that—wait, Soarin'? What… what are you doing here?"

Rainbow Dash's few moments of blissful comfort disappeared, as she become conscious to the amount of anguish she was in. "Oh, _mare_." She slowly put her left forearm to her head, finding one of many bumps. "It hurts. Everything _hurts_."

Soarin's smile branched in alarm. With her now breathing, Soarin' turned to the next order of business: stopping the bleeding. Without a second thought, he pulled off his esteemed Wonderbolts' uniform, ripped it in certain places, and started to utilize it as a tourniquet where it was needed most (there were a lot of places where it was needed most). "Dash, this is going to be uncomfortable, but it's imperative that the bleeding is stopped."

Rainbow Dash tried to reject the aid she was receiving. "I don't need any stupid tourniquet! I can get back to Ponyville by myself."

Soarin' suppressed a skeptical, yet apprehensive laugh. "Are you kidding me, Dash? I don't know how you got this way, but you look like you could barely stan—"

"Aha!" Stupefied, Soarin' stared at Rainbow Dash, who had gotten up off the ground in 3 seconds flat. She successfully stifled the torment he knew she must be feeling. Rainbow demonstrated a smile he had seen before, the one filled with dynamic fortitude. "See? I'm perfectly fine—"

She then tried to walk, just to show how "fine" she was. Unfortunately, that involved putting pressure on her front hooves. With the alacrity he was born with, Soarin' caught her before she could hit the ground.

"No, you're _not_ fine. You need help and medical attention right away." Rainbow Dash, ever disinclined to accept assistance from anypony, didn't look at Soarin' when she sanctioned, "Fine…"

Soarin' was grinning again, thought still profoundly anxious. He cautiously set her back down and finished applying the tourniquets, all while Rainbow was still effectively restraining from flinching. With his own body rejuvenated at Rainbow's survival, Soarin' had no care other than to get her to medical care. He picked her up bridal style and stood on his hind legs.

"We have to get you back to a doctor! Hold on Rainbow Dash, you're going to be okay!" Soarin' blasted off, somehow finding an opening through the canopy. He set off in the northeast, towards Ponyville, hoping that by some force, there would be a doctor there.

With what little strength of muscle she had, Rainbow Dash clung to her savior as he soared through the air.

'_Come__on,__come__on__Soarin__'__!__You__can__do__this,__she__'__ll__be__alright.__Sure,__she__looks__like__she__'__s__lost__a__lot__of__blood,__and__she__probably__has__a__whole__bunch__of__broke__bones,__not__to__mention__her__rib__cage,__but__—'_

"I… I feel… like I'm going to die…"

Hearing Rainbow finally say it made Soarin's heart gyrate with empathy. "You are _not_ going to die."

Rainbow Dash, usually so sure of herself, asked hesitantly, "…You promise?"

Soarin' was solemn. "I promise." He offered a comforting smile, and in response, Rainbow grinned as well, which made Soarin's smile even larger.

Looking forward, Soarin' resumed squinting; the antagonistic wind was blowing right in his eyes. "Dash, do you have enough strength to pull down my goggles? That way we can get there faster."

She looked back up at Soarin'. Even though her body told her she didn't have enough energy, Rainbow picked up her forearms and put them at the top of his muzzle.

Rainbow reached her hooves above Soarin's eyes, feeling for goggles, and then forlornly reported, "I… can't find any…"

Soarin' then remembered again that he had forgotten to bring his goggles. "Right, sorry, I don't have them." Soarin' kept his tone kind, but inside, he was smacking himself.

'_Dang__it,__Soarin__'__!__You__stupid,__stupid__featherbrain!__If__you__had__brought__your__freaking__goggles,__we__could__'__ve__gotten__there__faster__and__… __what__'__s__she__doing?__'_ Rainbow Dash had continued to feel his face, as if she was looking for something.

'_His__coat__is__so__soft.__' _Rainbow momentarily closed her eyes, and visualized the soothing fur of one of Fluttershy's bunnies. '_How__is__his__coat__so__soft?__'_

"Um… you can stop that now." Soarin' took a second to look down at her face. Amongst all the bruises, he spotted a light-pink blush creeping up.

"Oh… sorry." Rainbow Dash put on an uneasy smile.

And then for a mere, yet elongated moment, Rainbow Dash and Soarin' engrossed into each others' eyes, the pang of injury and panic of running out of time non-existent. Both ponies smiled in paradisiacal fascination, and each one thought something similar:

'_Wow, she looks cute.'_

'_Wow, he looks hot.'_

Then reality poked its head back in.

Rainbow Dash, no longer having the liveliness to keep her head up, fell back. Soarin' came around as well, and flew faster, opening his eyes ever few seconds to make sure that he wasn't going to crash into anything. "Don't worry Dash, I'm going to get you to a doctor as soon as I can!"

_Rainbow Dash had tried and tried with every fiber of her being, but the prospect of spending the entire day with the Wonderbolts was overwhelming; she screamed like a teenage filly that had just received a backstage pass to her favorite band. _

_She had done quite a bit the day before. In her home city of Cloudsdale, she had won the Best Fliers' Competition, saved the lives of Rarity and three of the Wonderbolts, and did a Sonic Rainboom in one fell swoop._

_Today was the day. Twelve hours of hanging out with her heroes. Twelve hours of showing them her flight capabilities. Twelve hours of awesomeness. _

_There was an audible knock. Having been waiting ever so patiently, Rainbow squealed in hushed glee one last time before she fast-walked to the front door. She brought her hooves above her head, and calmly brought them back down, exhaling as she did so. Once she was sure she had control of her composure, she opened the door._

"_Hey there, Rainbow Dash," Spitfire greeted unperturbedly, "I heard somepony wanted to spend the day with the Wonderbolts."_

"_Yes, yes, YES!"_

_Spitfire and the two stallions flanking her didn't try hard to repress their amusement at Rainbow's fervor. The cyan filly felt her cheeks heat up, but felt better when Spitfire told her, "I like your enthusiasm, Dash. How's about we go to one of our favorite hang-outs in Cloudsdale?"_

"_The Cirrus? Yeah, that'd be cool." _

"_Alright then," Spitfire guessed that Rainbow knew a thing or two about them, "Let's fly."_

_Blasting off of a cloud might seem unfeasible to do to a pony who's never done it before, but for a Pegasus, it was not only possible, but facile. _

_While they were soaring towards their destination, Rainbow was doing her best to fly fast, while still looking good. 'I'm going to the Cirrus with the Wonderbolts! This is so, so awesome!" She looked above her, where Spitfire and another Wonderbolt she couldn't recall the name of was. 'Okay, I just gotta' play it cool, keep calm…'_

"_I'm Spitfire, by the way."_

_Rainbow grinned. "Yeah, I know."_

_The Pegasus flying next to Spitfire took the opportunity. "And I'm Soarin'. Nice to meet you, lifesaver." He was wearing goggles, but she could tell he had winked. Rainbow Dash grinned even more, if that was possible._

"_Nice to meet you too, Soarin'."_

"_And I am Jet 'The Blur' Falcon. You may call me 'Jet Falcon', 'Mister Falcon', or simply 'His Blurriness'."_

"_Nice to meet you, 'The Blur'. Rainbow giggled at such conceit, while she imagined Soarin' and Spitfire were rolling their eyes._

_A few minutes after the genesis of their flight, the Pegasus who introduced himself as Soarin' slowed down a bit to be right next to Rainbow Dash._

"_So, let me get this straight: not only did you save our lives, but you did a Sonic Rainboom too?" _

_Rainbow knew her cheeks were red, but she affirmed proudly, "Yes, yes I did." _

"_Wow, that's amazing! I mean, you were in the Best Young Fliers' Competition, and you did the unthinkable! A Sonic Rainboom! You're awesome!" Soarin' punched her in the shoulder, making her blush even more. The other two ponies concurred. _

"_Gee… thanks." She stared at him in appreciation and partial absorption." That means a lot coming from a Wonderbolt."_

"_You're welcome, you deserve it!"_

_Ponies have done the whole "punch of endearment" to Rainbow before, but she never would've rubbed the afflicted area, no matter how much it ached._

'_Why did I punch her so hard! Smooth move, Soarin'!_

_Rainbow seemed to detect that he appeared regretful. So she decided to punch him in the shoulder too, though not as hard. "So, Soarin', what's it like a Wonderbolt?"_

_Soarin' stared at her intently. He noticed that she was all ears, which eased him. "Well… allow me to fill you in, Rainbow Dash..."_

Cardio's least favorite place in the world was any kind of medical building, but the Ponyville infirmary was where he knew somepony would be awake with medicine at such late hours. Having travelled from Manehattan, he didn't have to go through a place like the Everfree Forest, which is why he was surprised when he "tripped" over a couple of rocks and collected a rather large gash.

Grumbling, but knowing he needed help, Cardio entered the Infirmary. He noticed the lack of patients before seeing the front desk, where another white unicorn was reading a book. Deciding to adopt a suave persona, he waltzed up to the counter and asked charmingly, "Well, hello there, little lady. Would you happen to be the proprietor of this delightful establishment?"

She looked up from her reading, and smiled, "Coincidence has it that I am, stranger."

"Then perhaps you can assist me, for I have travelled for the space of many days. My legs are tired, my mouth thirsts, and I'm bleeding."

Nurse Redheart's casual smile immediately turned into the frown of a concerned physician. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, I think I shall be okay. I was hiking on the way to this city, and I tripped on a rather large rock, and fell down ways." Cardio dramatically limped around the counter into Nurse Redheart's view. The bleeding scuff on his side pumped her muscles into action.

"Oh my! Go sit down over there, I'll get you fixed up right away."

Cardio took pleasure in the attention he was receiving. He did what he was told, as Nurse Redheart dashed into another room. She reappeared seconds later, with several things floating in her magical grasp. The first thing she did was use a wet washcloth to wipe off the blood. She then removed the cap off of a brown bottle, and said, "Now this will hurt a bit, but it will clear the germs off."

Cardio felt the familiar sting of hydrogen peroxide on his side, but he proficiently kept a perfectly straight face.

Nurse Redheart raised an eyebrow. "You're quite the stallion, avoiding the recoil of such a tender remedy."

"Nah, it doesn't hurt that much."

She giggled softly, and opened up a box. "I'm going to need to put a few stitches in your side, so I have some pain medication for you."

Cardio puffed out his chest as if he already had her in the bag. "No, I will not require any. Thank you, though."

She smiled again, though this time a bit uncomfortably. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Well, if you say so."

She took out a few medical tools for stitching that Cardio recognized. When she began the process, Cardio once again refrained from showing any sign of discomfort. _'__The__ladies__dig__a__sturdy__stallion.__'_ Once she was finished, Nurse Redheart pronounced, "Alright sir. You are good to go!"

He stood up, and commented carelessly, "Good as new." Nurse Redheart took everything back into the room she had gone into. Cardio took the opportunity to put his maroon mane down and check out his face in one of the mirrors sitting around in the Infirmary. When Nurse Redheart came back into the room, before she could say anything, Cardio strolled up to her asked, "So, a beautiful mare like you probably has a coltfriend by now, am I correct?"

Nurse Redheart stepped back, a bit red but still smiling, "Oh no, not at the moment."

Cardio feigned shock. "You've got to be kidding me? Surely somepony like _you_ is constantly surrounded by colts, begging for your autograph at every turn" he then added with an even bigger smile, "even married ones."

Nurse Redheart put a hoof up and pushed Cardio back. "Sorry hotshot, but I don't date colts I don't know the name of." She smirked.

"Oh, is it that easy? Then allow me to let you know what mine is." He raised his eyebrows. "My name is—"

The door to the Infirmary opened so fast it hit the doorstop and cracked the glass. A blue haze shot to Nurse Redheart and adeptly cut its flight short, blowing the Nurse's and Cardio's hair back for a few seconds.

"This pony needs medical attention _now_!"

Nurse Redheart was dumbstruck for only a moment. She galloped back into the room she had just left, and came back twice as fast and with even more medical items than before, _and_ whilst pushing a gurney at the same time.

"Put her here!"

Soarin' carefully laid Rainbow Dash down. Nurse Redheart couldn't help but gulp as she examined the wounded pony before her.

"Oh my _goodness_. What in Equestria happened to her?"

"I don't know, but she needs help!"

The physician began reapplying tourniquets and drying blood. Soarin' looked on with anxiety, which increased when Nurse Redheart acknowledged, "I'll do my best, but it looks like she needs a doctor." Her expression became even more distressed. "And there hasn't been a doctor in Ponyville since the last passed away."

Soarin' stood there, his muscles begging him for consolation. "Are you telling me you can't save her?"

"Honey, I'll do my be—"

"Isn't there _anything_ else you can do?"

"Yes, I'll do all I can, but…" She paused, "I'm sorry sir, I _will_ do the best I can, but I'm afraid that without another physician here, I'm not sure if I can save her."

"Well, then I'll have to fly to Canterlot and bring one here!"

"No sir, it'll be too late for that. I'm sorry."

"No, don't be sorry, because she's going to be okay. She survived this far, so she can survive the rest."

Nurse Redheart frowned grimly. "I _need_ a doctor."

"I'm a doctor."

Nurse Redheart and Soarin' whipped towards the other unicorn, who added irately, "Doctor Cardio Pullman, at your service."

"_You__'__re_a doctor?" Nurse Redheart did not stop trying to save Rainbow Dash, but she still glared at him in uncertainty. "Why didn't you tell me?"

He attempted to assert why, but Nurse Redheart didn't give him the chance. "Come here, then, let's get started!"

Cardio sauntered over and begrudgingly started issuing orders and listing things to be done. Soarin', however, didn't hear them. He felt his vision start to fade.

"So, she _is_ going to be okay?"

Cardio turned to look at him. "I don't know, she doesn't look good—"

"Will you do everything in your power to save her life?"

Both unicorns stared at the Pegasus uneasily, then at each other, and then back to Soarin'. "Yes, yes we will."

"Great." At hearing these alleviating words, Soarin' let his muscles finally have their desire. He passed out before he hit the floor.

**End of chapter 2. Questions, concerns, comments, anything would be appreciated. If you think it doesn't flow in an area, or if you don't understand something or why I made a certain decision, do feel free to notify/ask me. :)  
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